News Release
Michigan Public Health Training Center earns "Promising Practice" award
December 20, 2013ANN ARBOR, Mich. —The University of Michigan School of Public Health has been awarded a "Promising Practice" award from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), for its leadership in the collaborative Michigan Engaging Community through the Classroom (MECC) project.
The ASPPH stated that Michigan's program earned the award for its "innovative approach to cross-disciplinary education" which provided "students with the opportunity to learn how health is impacted by many influences."
MECC is a multi-disciplinary effort involving students and faculty from the School of Public Health, Urban and Regional Planning Program, College of Engineering, Ford School of Public Policy, as well as several community and other university partners. The School of Public Health branch of MECC is run through the Michigan Public Health Training Center, a part of the Office of Public Health Practice at SPH.
Associate Dean for Practice Phyllis Meadows, was the principal investigator for the SPH collaborative project within the MECC initiative. The project, a preliminary health impact assessment for the Willow Run, Michigan area, was published online, along with the final combined MECC report.
"It was wonderful to be involved in addressing the needs of a local community, and also to engage students in a multidimensional aspects of public health practice," said Meadows.
Patricia Koman, a senior project manager in the SPH Office of Public Health Practice, also participated.
Richard Norton, chair of the Taubman College Urban and Regional Planning Program, convened and facilitated the multi-disciplinary MECC initiative. "It is extremely gratifying to see this initiative get recognized by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.," said Norton. "This was a grassroots initiative to bring course work to the community to make positive change where it is needed. This recognition is a sign that our efforts are paying off."
More information:
Contact: Terri Mellow, Senior Media Strategist
Phone: (734) 764-8094
E-mail: twm@umich.edu
